Cynthia Walker joins us from Kent State University, where she was teaching English for Technology and Math in the ESL Center. Before she became a teacher, she was an engineer and programmer, working for IBM and NASA, among others. She enjoys listening to live music, reading, and playing with her cat, Mika.

Lorin Kinney is a resident of Barnesville, Ohio, but is originally from Elkins, West Virginia. She is a graduate of Marshall University, where she received a Bachelors and Masters of Science in Environmental Science specializing in aquatic ecology. Lorin started working at Olney as Assistant to the Head of School in May 2016. Lorin and her husband enjoy hiking with their husky, kayaking, and SCUBA diving.

Born and raised in Barnesville, Ohio, Tina started working in the Business Office at Olney in March 2012. Tina graduated from Barnesville High School and earned an associate degree in mental health technology from Belmont College. She worked as a fiscal assistant at Belmont Senior Services for six years. Tina is married with three children and seven grandchildren.

“Working at Olney has been an awesome experience, and I really enjoy the students,” she said. “I feel blessed to be part of a wonderful community where the students come together from very different backgrounds and live, learn and socialize together.”

Dustin Jarrett is the Director of Admissions at Olney and has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. He comes to Olney after spending 14 years in higher education where he was most recently the Dean of Admissions at Wheeling Jesuit University. His professional background includes experience in admissions, enrollment management, and financial aid.

Born and raised in Belmont County, Dustin enjoys a wide variety of activities outside of work, especially spending time with his son Chase, his girlfriend Kimberly, and his dog Reilly. Often referred to as “DJ” by his peers, he is an avid deer hunter and loves spending time outdoors. In his spare time, DJ is the voice of many popular dirt track stock car races, often working over 50 events each year. He also loves to travel, having been to 48 of the 50 states. Dustin is a big fan of sports and religiously follows MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals and the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

I have had family in Barnesville all my life. I graduated from Belmont College with an Associates of Science degree in Criminal Justice and continued my education at Ohio University Eastern completing coursework in Communications. I have always had an interest in teaching children and found myself working within the public school system before coming to Olney. I have yet to experience a bad day at Olney. I enjoy the students and staff and find the learning model unique as well as ideal! I learn as much from the students as they learn each day. I enjoy time with my family, including my three children, hanging out with friends, cooking, and shopping.

Joe holds a B.A. in History from Dominican College and an M.S. in Education: School Counseling from Long Island University. Joe spent eight years working in the admissions department of Dominican College in Sparkill, NY, beginning as an admissions intern and leaving with the title of Senior Admissions Counselor. In September of 2014, he joined the Olney Friends School family, serving as the Director of Admissions until March 2016. He now serves as the Director of College and Academic Advising.

Mark Hibbett came to Olney during the summer of 2015 to work as a farm intern and decided to stay on full-time during the school year. Mark now works as the assistant farm manager and oversees the school’s Farm Team. Before coming to Olney, Mark worked in addiction counseling in Florida and with the after school youth program at Laughlin Memorial Chapel in Wheeling, WV. He also has experience with gardening.

Academics

Roger serves Olney as its Technology Director and as a teacher of Senior Humanities, Digital Filmmaking, Film Studies, Quakerism and Web Design.

Roger has more than 20 years’ experience in information technology and has taught English and Humanities for 17-plus years at the college and secondary levels. He loves art, cinema, literature and writing, and he sees technology as a way to enable creative expression.

“There is nothing better, or more enriching, than working collaboratively on a creative project, like a film, or designing and writing a book, or planning a poetry slam,” Roger said. “In my classes, I try to show kids the connection between how they relate to each other and the work they produce and the person they are trying to become. Together, we do truly excellent work and have an insane amount of fun!”

Roger lives on campus with his wife, Diane, who teaches English at Ohio University Eastern. All three of his children are Olney graduates.

Aaron Schultz is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Olney Friends School, where he also teaches 11th grade humanities. He has previously worked as the school’s Director of Admissions and Web Coordinator.

Before coming to Olney in 2014, he worked for nearly a decade managing residential living facilities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He has also worked as a college writing lab aid, part-time event DJ, manager of various websites and social media platforms, polysomnography technician, and was pretty decent at bagging groceries at one point. He graduated from West Virginia University at Parkersburg with an interdisciplinary focus in English, psychology and philosophy.

Aaron has also worked as a dorm staff and teaches electives ranging from social media and web development to metaphysics. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, road trips, concerts, chess, and exploring campus with Weezer Cheezer #1 Stunna, his dog friend.

Humanities teacher and athletic director Jamie Zavitz is no stranger to Olney Friends School. Now in his fifth year as a member of the faculty, Jamie brings decades of education experience to his alma mater. A “faculty brat” in his youth, Jamie, who is also the school’s head soccer coach, played for Olney and collegiately at Earlham College, where he majored in history. He also has a masters degree in teaching. In addition to his humanities coursework, Jamie teaches Quakerism and offers a popular guitar elective.

I am Jake, a twenty-six-year-old native of Maine. I grew up on a small island off the coast, in a town of seven hundred people. Throughout my life I have been fortunate enough to travel, both on my own and with my family. Overall my travels have meant that I have spent over a fifth of my life outside the country, living in places like Kenya, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, and Australia to name a few. As a result I can speak basic Spanish and Swahili.

For the past six years I have been the crew leader, running a team of seaweed harvesters in Downeast Maine, an hour and a half east of Bar Harbor. I used the job to pay for my schooling so that I could get my degree in History with a focus on historical perspective and was just short of my creative writing minor (they changed the curriculum last minute). It was a seasonal job running from May-October, so I used my off season as a chance to explore the world a bit more, spending time in Ireland, the UK, returning to Kenya several times, and exploring more of South America. I chose to leave seaweed harvesting and come to Olney because I felt it was time to follow the career I have wanted to have since I was in the third grade: to become a high school teacher.

Science and math teacher Leonard Guindon has spent much of his life at Olney. He grew up on the farm, living in the Taber Farmhouse with his parents, Clifford ’41 & Dorothy (Bedell) (Hon.) Guindon, and siblings Dale ’67, Don ’74, Lloyd ’77 & Janet Hammer ’76. Leonard graduated from Olney in 1970.

He and wife Legenia have three children: Jesse, Micah and Gabe. Leonard holds a BS in Agriculture from Wilmington College and was named Ohio Conservation Teacher of the Year in 2009.

Phineas Gosselink has nearly thirty years of experience in formal and informal education, ranging from teaching wilderness skills in Vermont and AP Calculus in New York, to cooperatively developing horse traction agriculture in indigenous communities in Bolivia. Since joining the Olney faculty in 2012, he has taught Honors Literature, several social justice courses, and all levels of math from Geometry to Post-calculus. Phineas graduated from St John’s College in Annapolis, MD and earned an M.Ed. in Curricular Design from Antioch University in Keene, NH. He lives in the dorm with his cat, and has been a practicing Friend since 1975.

Connie Collins comes to Olney from (relatively) nearby Canton, Ohio. She is a graduate of Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, where she double-majored in Spanish and Zoology. In addition to teaching four units of Spanish this year, Connie also works as a girls dorm sponsor. Connie is joined on campus by her pet rat, Jerry.

Olney Friends School is an independent, co-educational, college preparatory boarding and day school offering individualized instruction in small class settings for grades 9-12.

Phone: 740-425-3655

Fax: 740-425-3202

The Main Office is staffed seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. till about 10:00 p.m. when school is in session. The administrator on call is available for emergencies 24 hours a day during the school year at 740-359-4015.